‘Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it comes the issues of life’. This pronouncement was made thousands of years ago in the scriptures. The writer obviously was not talking of the anatomical heart which is really a pump of a sort that pumps blood to other parts of the body. Rather he was talking of the thought life an individual, the mind if you like. From the statement above, one can really get to know that the thought is of utmost importance and as one writer puts it , the battles of life are fought, won or lost in the mind, that is the thought life.

Our thought life is actually the centre of our lives. The truth of the matter is that the way we perceive our external environment as well as our internal experiences is dependent on our pattern of thinking. It has been said that the experiences that we have in life are not as important as how we perceive them and the meaning that they hold for us. Take for instance the story of two different salesmen for a shoe manufacturing company who were asked to go for a sales drive in a new market. On getting there they discovered that the people of that City don’t wear shoes, one immediately sent back a message that there is no market for their product and as such he is coming back home, while the other sent back a message of ship-load of shoes because there is a large untapped market for them. The difference in their reaction tells of the difference in their thinking pattern. One only sees problems and obstacles, while the other only sees prospects and possibilities!

The interpretations of our experiences are really a reflection of our thought lives. One person only sees the negative intentions in the actions and speech of others, while another make excuses for the short-comings of others. One person only read perceived insult or rejections to his person in people holding   different opinions to his, while another sees the richness of the variety of opinions! The acceptance of rejection of failure is in the mind. They say winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win, it is all in the mind, a product of our thoughts!

So in which areas are we to guard our thoughts?

-In our Personal life: Our lives on this side of eternity are really supposed to be full of purpose. There is a purpose for which we are in existence. The concept of teleology permeates almost all aspects of human knowledge. It basically deals with the study of purpose or goals or ends as the case may be. We are here to fulfill purpose. The broad purpose may be found in the pronouncement “ be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth”. This we see is to mean that we are to have dominion over the earth and prosper by it! However, each of us must then go on to find the specific area that we are to be fruitful and exercise this dominion. Suffice to say that most people have never given it a thought and are therefore living lives of mediocrity and defeat. They are defeated in the basic issues of live; what to eat, what to drink, where to live and what to put on. They don’t have values and ideals and are tossed to and fro by anything that comes their way. They are living lives of defeat, purposeless and goalless lives. We must guard our thoughts therefore to purpose, to victory and to achieving specific goals. This is when we can be free from the shackles of low level strife, drunkenness, infidelity, sexual immorality, financial impropriety and all that is called sin!

-In our relationships: Our lives are really a series of relationships. No one lives in isolation and the most reclusive of us at least was born by someone. Sometimes we take these relationships for granted. We assume that a baby should be loved by the family, the mother should nurture it, the father should love and provide for the baby, the siblings should dote on it. The baby is supposed to live in an atmosphere of love for its optimum physical, emotional and psychological development. The child is supposed to grow up, start schooling, get a sense of fraternity in school with his classmates and grow up dating, going to college, finding a job etc. All of these comprises of series of relationships! However, the sheer issues of daily living and interpersonal issues lead to misunderstanding and offences in these relationships. Now, if we don’t have the social, emotional and spiritual maturity to deal with these issues, we may end up with bitterness, hatred, and strife. We therefore have to guard our hearts against unforgiving spirit, selfishness and conceit. We must guard our hearts against revenge and getting even. These are issues that may be hidden in the secrets of our hearts. They eat deep into the fabrics of our souls, taking away our peace. It should be noted that a lot of people will overcome the temptation of sexual sins but will fall at the feet of these sins of the heart! Many of the cases that are seen in the psychiatrists consulting room or in psychotherapy sessions are a product of these issues. Many a divorce can be traced back to unforgiving spirit, selfishness and pride. These had led to the fall of empires and collapse of businesses!

In our habits: Habits are really products of our thought lives. Our actions result from our thoughts is actions repeated a couple of times eventually become habits. So, if these habits are addictive in nature, we then become hooked! So, addiction to alcohol and drugs, sex, work, etc all result from these. Habits like procrastination, pessimism, negativism all result from thoughts! The difference between the one that stays down and the one that keeps moving is in their thoughts. To form good habits that lead to productive and happy life, guard your thoughts.

So how do we guard our thoughts?

The simplest way to guard the heart or thought as the case may be is to think of positive things all of the time. Now the scripture says that ‘whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good reports, if there be any virtue……think of these things’. So what else so easily fulfill the above more than the love of God? The love of God is revealed to us through is son and his word, so read the word. Subject your thoughts to the acid test of what the word of God says about whatever you are thinking per time and before you know it, you would have drained yourself of all evil and all defeat and go on to live a victorious life.

Secondly, you must choose your company. You cannot surround yourself with people who are negative, not motivated, pessimistic and bitter and expect to be different. You must surround yourself with people who take the issues of life serious. You must surround yourself with people who are positive, pure and actively guarding their own hearts. You get to know them by what they say and what they do.  

Watch what you watch. The media has become an integral part of lives. Sometime what we believe is just what is fed to us by the media. There are instances of people committing suicide because of the sensational way in which some cases were reported. Be aware of being politically correct at the expense of being pure and holding on to the truth. Beware of condoning evil in your thoughts by what you watch or listen to.

More importantly, leave the negative past behind and build on the positives. Forgive is you have to. Repent if you have to. Keep on thinking on that which is pure, lovely and of good report.’ Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it comes the issues of life’